A £4.7 million project to refurbish offices used by South Lakeland District Council has been strongly criticised at a full council meeting.

Cllr Ben Berry, leader of the opposition Conservatives, called on the council to drop the project and spend the money on residents.

SLDC recently unveiled plans for major improvements to its South Lakeland House headquarters in Kendal and the adjoining town hall.

It said the aim is to bring it up to modern accessibility standards, make better use of empty space and hire out sections to companies to generate income.

But Cllr Berry told a meeting of the full council in Kendal that it amounted to turning “South Lakeland House into South Lakeland penthouse”.

The Windermere councillor said: “I quote from your own report. It’s going to be bedecked in interview pods, meeting rooms and lattice partitions, offset by a natural colour palette to give a rocky landscape feel, with printed carpets to replicate ferns and other foliage.

“This £5 million Lib Dem folly is just another sign that 14 years of power has gone to your heads.”

Cllr Berry also criticised the £11 million spent by Cumbria County Council on its new headquarters in Carlisle, which he called a “palace”.

Cllr Andrew Jarvis, the Liberal Democrat finance cabinet member, defended the investment being made by SLDC.

He said the council had a half-empty building, a leaking roof, a “dodgy” lift, poor disabled access and buildings which were not environmentally friendly.

Cllr Jarvis said: “If we don’t do it, it will cost our council taxpayers more money year after year after year. It is crazy not to do it.”

He said the investment in those areas of the building used by SLDC staff would only represent 20 per cent of the total project cost.

Cllr Jarvis said: “This is not £5 million or thereabouts being spent on South Lakeland District Council. The rest is on shared infrastructure, on public areas and on the areas that we would let out to other people.”

Cllr Thornton, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader of Cumbria County Council, criticised the comments made about its Cumbria House headquarters.

He said it had saved the county council £1 million a year by reducing the overheads of lots of offices.

“Your party is stuck in the past with no plan,” Cllr Thornton told Cllr Berry. “You would be in the old buildings paying heating and maintenance charges – spending the money but not getting any return.”

Previously, the council has said that the costs would be fully repaid due to savings from lower maintenance costs, a more efficient building, reduced business rates and a flow of additional revenue.